A/N: Sorry for all the melancholy, but we're finally getting to the trial! :)
After apparating back to her small residence, the pair didn't initially let go of each other. Alice's eyes opened to again meet Draco's as before they left; their hands were still clasped and each hesitated to move or even breathe for that matter.
Alice finally took a deep breath, since she often held it when they apparated, and she struggled to find her voice, "Um, I'll put some of these things away and then we'll head out?" She slowly let go of his hand and grabbed her suitcase from him, trying to act as normal as possible.
Draco could only nod in agreement and went over to Alice's bookshelf, hoping that if he read some random book titles his mind would be taken off of Alice. Near the end of the shelf he found a tattered book whose cover was barely intact. He slowly pulled it off the shelf to look at it. It was The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, an older edition which Draco rightly assumed was given to Alice by her mother when she was a child. She had mentioned at dinner with his parents the other night that she had read it when she was younger; an interest passed on from her biologist mother. Draco opened the book to find an old unmoving color photograph stuck between its pages. It was a picture of Alice, who appeared to be around six years old. Her hair was lighter but she had the same characteristics as she did now. Next to her, holding her hand and smiling was her mother, who also bore a striking resemblance to the child. He placed the book, which undoubtedly held sentimental value, back in its prior location. Draco, saddened by the thought of losing a mother at such a young age, also realized Alice's internal drive to accomplish great things in life. No matter what happened, Draco knew she would persevere. Alternatively, Draco knew his memory of Alice would not be erased and he was unsure if he'd be able to move on without her in his life.
Alice unpacked her small suitcase, placing some clothes in the laundry basket, shoes in her closet, while also finding the outfit she had envisioned to wear for the trial. She laid the black dress out on her bed to retrieve when they returned later that evening.
"That should do it," she said, gaining Draco's attention. "We can take the Tube into the city, there's a metro entrance about a block from here," she thought it would be more convenient than taking a bus.
Taking the underground metro for the first time was interesting for Draco though he maintain his usual cool demeanor taking in things as a neutral observer. Alice again noted how sophisticated he moved and loved how his body language demanded attention.
"I know it's a little cliché," she said hanging on to a bar on the metro, "But I thought I'd take you to city center, we can walk around, get something to eat, there's plenty to see there."
Draco smiled, "That sounds perfect," he honestly was just glad to spend time with Alice.
"This is our stop," Alice said, before the train came to a halt.
The underground station was packed with travelers which was typical on a Sunday night around dinnertime. Alice intertwined her arm with Draco's so they could keep together amongst the sea of people. After walking up the steps and out the main entrance to the road, they could tell the sights and sounds of the city were in full bloom. The sun was about to go down so they took advantage of the light and walked along the pier of the River Thames.
"I haven't been here in awhile," Alice said stopping by a railing to look out at the historic river. "They just recently rebuilt the Millennium Bridge last year. The collapse of that thing is what started me on my crusade." The new bridge looked the same as the old one but on each end memorials were erected to those who lost their lives when it collapsed.
"How did you figure it out?" Draco asked curiously, resting his arms on the railing.
Alice turned and rested her back on the bars, the wind slightly whipped through her hair, "Various inconsistencies in how they were reporting the incident. I also saw some video footage before it was erased by the government. It showed black specters flying through the air."
"Death Eaters," Draco replied, knowing all to well how the bridge was brought down.
Alice nodded, "But it was The Daily Prophet I found that gave me the best leads. I was quiet about what I knew though, unlike others who I assume had a run in with the Ministry's obliviators. I also left to go back to the US shortly after which distanced me from it all. I actually didn't start writing the book until I started grad school four years later."
"Long process," Draco said, thinking of the length of time it took her to put everything together.
"Well, conspiracies and wizards isn't a respectable project in academia. Magic is fantasy here so my dissertation had nothing to do with it and I worked on it entirely in my free time. It was to be a creative work for the purpose of keeping my academic research respectable. After years of putting it together, to end up here is unthinkable." She turned to look at Draco, "I find it ironic that you were in the Daily Prophet I found so long ago. Perhaps it was fate that brought us together."
Draco couldn't deny that working on her case was an odd and unexpected occurrence; he would have never foreseen himself befriending a muggle, or having such strong feelings for her. "Whatever it was, I'm grateful."
"So am I," Alice said, looking at Draco with a warm smile.
They both turned to look out at the river again, the sun had dipped far on the horizon and the lights of the London Eye sparkled on the water's surface. It was a beautiful scene, echoing their feelings for each other.
After their walk, Alice decided to complete the muggle experience in the city by taking Draco to eat sushi at a Japanese restaurant she had yet to try, but always heard rave reviews about. He was apprehensive about trying raw fish and only hoped he wouldn't get food poisoning.
They had both enjoyed the meal immensely, however. Alice said jokingly after eating the last of the tuna roll, "See, it wasn't a trick to escape your grasp tomorrow morning."
"Don't think the thought of forgoing the trial hasn't crossed my mind," Draco tone was bit more serious than Alice expected.
Realizing he wasn't joking, her eyes met the concerned look of his. "There's nothing I wouldn't give to make it past tomorrow remembering everything, but I would not risk your freedom in the process. I promise though, I will argue if given the chance." She remembered Draco had wanted her to argue her case when they were near Hogwarts the other day.
For Draco, knowing Alice would defend herself helped ease his senses. He could do nothing for her, except be there. And would he, after Alice lost her memory, go and find her again? The thought had crossed his mind.
After returning to Alice's flat, she grabbed her outfit and a bottle of expensive Cabernet from the Napa Valley wine region in California. Alice had imported a case of the wine to give to her professors as thank you gifts after graduation. She had several bottles left and thought it would make a decent parting gift for Narcissa and Lucius. Draco told her it was unnecessary, but Alice insisted.
Again Draco offered his hand to Alice and as she took it while thinking back to the first time they were in her flat together. He was mysterious to her then, but now, she felt like they had spent a lifetime together. She willingly pushed herself towards him, intertwining her fingers with his.
"Ready?" Draco asked softly and Alice nodded her head and closed her eyes.
Like the last time they apparated, they didn't immediately separate. Instead, their eyes met and they hesitated to let go. It took everything in Draco's strength not to kiss Alice at that moment, a longing that each of them had.
Steadying his heart beat, Draco said, "You should get some rest. We have to be there at eight."
Releasing each other, Alice replied, "I'll meet you down here at a quarter till."
Sleep wouldn't come easy for either of them that evening.
Lucky to have an alarm setting on her mobile phone, Alice awoke at 6:30 am, giving her enough time to pack and make herself presentable for the trial. She couldn't deny that she was nervous. This whole week she had been secluded from the wizarding world, protected in the confines of Malfoy Manor. Draco let her know to expect the press and Ministry employees in the courtroom, as well as photographers in the atrium when they arrive. While she was not shy in front of crowds, having done numerous lectures and debates before, it was the new experience of being put under a microscope and judged that made her uncertain. She was unsure if she'd even be given a chance to speak.
Dressed and with her small bag packed, Alice grabbed her bottle of Cabernet to meet the Malfoys in foyer. Narcissa and Lucius were there talking with their son.
As Alice approached, Narcissa mused, "Perfect outfit dear."
Alice smiled and went to give Narcissa the bottle of wine, "This is for you and Mr. Malfoy, I don't know how else to thank you for allowing me to stay here."
Grateful for the gift, Narcissa then handed the bottle of wine to Lucius, who observed it and said discriminatingly, "Muggle wine?"
"From California, it's a reputable winery," she said, trying to sound reassuring.
Narcissa then grasped both of Alice's hands, "Good luck today Alice, know you are always welcome in our home."
Alice felt a calming sense of reassurance wash over her with those words, and she desperately hoped Narcissa had indeed been clairvoyant when she said she had good feelings about the trial.
Alice offered her hand to Lucius who hesitated at first but shook it, noting the sincerity in her eyes.
Fritz had also come to say his adieus which Alice returned with a nice scratch behind the ears.
The Floo Regulation Panel had set up a direct fireplace connection in the Malfoy's drawing room for purposes of bringing Alice to the trial. Draco would be able to take Alice alongside him and he cautioned her to keep her elbows close to her body.
Stepping into the fireplace was a surreal experience for Alice and she had little time to compose her thoughts before Draco had stepped in beside her. Draco clasped and then gently squeezed Alice's hand for reassurance when he threw some powder on the floor, calling the name, "Ministry of Magic."
A green slurry of flames shot up and the couple was quickly transported to their destination. Alice immediately noted that the trip was less jarring than traveling by apparition and she felt less disoriented when reappearing. As the flames subsided again, she noticed they were in another fireplace, this one a bit wider and with black polished tiles lining its walls. In front of them was Blaise Zabini, standing with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. She had not seen him since the previous Tuesday.
"Draco, Miss McNally," Blaise greeted them; Alice noticed a little contempt in his saying of her name.
Draco placed his hand on the small of Alice's back and guided her out of the fireplace where they would follow Blaise through the great atrium. As soon as they reached where Blaise was standing, a flurry of camera bulbs flashed brightly; the press had already stationed themselves in the atrium in order to get the first shot of Dumbledore's granddaughter. Alice moved along with the two men by her side, highly comforted by the fact that Draco had not removed his hand from her back. Despite being overwhelmed, Alice remained calm and poised, trying her best to mute out the chaotic situation around her.
They reached the lift that had opened its golden doors seconds prior. Blaise motioned for Draco and Alice to go in first and then followed after. The doors closed and took them down to level 9 where they could gain access to the stairways that led to the dungeons.
"The trial's been moved up to 8:30," Blaise quietly said to Draco, ignoring the presence of Alice, "Most of the Ministry's heads are already gathering in the courtroom."
Alice's eyes shot a concerned glance at Draco, who remained silent as they descended the stairs. There was even less time then she expected. They reached a long sleek hallway with several doors on each side, most of which were waiting rooms. Blaise led them to a room about halfway down the hall. The room exuded the same sleekness as the hallway, polished black floors, a few black benches and a table.
Blaise turned to Alice and said, "I'll escort you in when it's time," then he proceeded to leave the room, expecting Draco to follow him.
However, Draco did not follow, "Give me a minute," he said to Blaise, who looked incriminatingly at his friend, then at Alice before closing the door behind him.
The morning had gone by so fast and the heaviness of the situation had only started to catch up with them. Alice's eyes slightly welled up with tears though she quickly blinked them away as she gazed at Draco, who stood weak before her. She moved towards him apprehensively and lightly cupped her hands on the sides of his head. He couldn't look her in the eyes as her touch pained his heart.
"Draco," Alice's sweet voice caused Draco's eyes to rise and meet hers, "Thank you." Against her desire to neutralize her outer feelings for him, Alice softly kissed his lips. Draco reciprocated her soft kiss and placed his arms around her, holding her close as she brought her head to rest on his chest. She breathed in heavily, gathering strength from his embrace. For what felt like eternity, they held each other, not saying anything, only feeling the connection that was apparent between them all week.
Reluctantly stepping out of his embrace, Alice smiled with confidence at Draco, trying to reassure him and herself that it was going to be alright. "You should go," she said, her voice slightly wavering. Draco experienced both revelation and despair from their embrace, as if his heart mended and broke at the same time. He looked at her strong eyes and warm smile and knew she was going to go into that courtroom ready to fight this. Draco returned this reassurance in his final glance before opening the door and leaving her in the room. Knowing she would have only a few moments alone, Alice decided to meditate, mentally preparing herself for the unknown that awaited her.